Dharna against WB govt restriction on movement of potato

Updated: Tuesday, August 12, 2014, 17:25 [IST]

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Jamshedpur, Aug 12: Local residents today sat on a dharna and squatted at the Jagannathpur chowk under Barsole police station, about 90 kms from here, blocking NH-6 protesting the West Bengal government's decision to impose restriction on movement of vegetables including potatoes to other states.

Led by Kunal Sarangi, son of former Jharkhand Health Minister Dr Dinesh Sarangi, hundreds of residents sat on a dharna since 11 AM at Jagannathpur chowk bordering West Bengal, police sources said adding, traffic was completely disrupted due to the agitation.

Officer-in-charge of Barsole police station, Karmal Bhagat said the agitation was peaceful and no untoward incident was reported as yet. Kunal Sarangi said the residents were left with no option but to resort to the dharna as no action was taken by the state government to resolve the issue.

There was immense crisis of the tuber in the local markets which affected the people, particularly the poor, but the government was not keen on taking up the issue with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he claimed. Sarangi said the residents had first resorted to a four-hour-long dharna on August 8 on the issue, but nothing had happened.

"As the crisis of potato continued to prevail across the state, we were left with no other option but to launch a dharna," he said adding political parties including JVM, JMM and BJP have extended their moral support to the agitation.